Halfpenny London Elegance for an English Country Garden Wedding at Home

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Happy hump day all! I’m so very excited to be sharing this completely lovely wedding with you today. With a stylish Halfpenny London dress, maids in cream and white, special jewellery pieces, and loads of little details, this wedding will be sure to inspire – and these light-filled images were captured expertly by Helen Cawte Photography.

Alex, a TV director and producer, and his beautiful bride Sarah, an art specialist at Christie’s auctioneers, tied the knot on a summer’s day on the 25th July 2015. The service was held at St James’ Church in Stedham, West Sussex, with the reception at Sarah’s parents home where she grew up in Woolbeding, West Sussex.

“I’d always wanted to get married from home. It felt incredibly special being able to travel from my childhood home to the local church and it was lovely to be able to share the garden with all our friends and family. We both wanted to have a relaxed and fun day with family and friends. Once I’d found the dress, the rest of the décor came together. I think by the end we were aiming for a more sophisticated version of an English country wedding, with a touch of vintage.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.In a simply stunning Halfpenny London gown and veil, Sarah is the epitome of grace and elegance. She chose the ‘Marianne’ design, with a beautiful embellished beaded cap-sleeved bodice, for its comfortable fit and vintage, yet modern feel.

“I found the first few visits to bridal stores rather uncomfortable – although everyone was lovely all the dresses either felt too formal, or too revealing in one case, and none of them felt really me. I came across Halfpenny London through an image on Pinterest of the actress Emilia Fox wearing a beautiful lace dress with a blue sash.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

A few minutes on their website convinced me that the shop was definitely worth a visit. The ‘Marianne’ dress was hanging in the window and was the first dress I noticed, although predictably it was the most expensive thing in the shop! Having found lots of contenders I was persuaded by my mother that it was ok ‘just to try it on’. I’d like to say that that was it, but as I’m one of the world’s most indecisive people I was initially torn between a few different options.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“However, when I went back a few weeks later and put it on I remembered exactly how beautiful and how unusual it was – a vintage feel but with a modern edge which was exactly what I had been looking for. And I felt completely comfortable in it. I’m so grateful to my mother and maid of honour, Anna, for convincing me that it was the right decision.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“I fell in love with these Jimmy Choo shoes immediately. I really wanted to find a pair of shoes that I could wear again, and these are honestly the most comfortable heels I have ever owned and certainly the most expensive!”

 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

I adore Sarah’s beautiful hair comb with fern leaves by Untamed Pearls from Liberty in Love; a present from her mother-in-law and which complimented the fern patterns in the beading on her dress. She added a spritz of her old faithful scent, ‘J’Adore’ by Dior, and a pair of special earrings that were her something borrowed and blue.

“They had originally belonged to my father’s mother who sadly died when I was four, and were loaned to me for the day by my aunt. It was important to me to have something to represent his side of the family on the day. Clare Buckett from Hampshire Hair and Makeup had worked with my mother-in-law for years on TV and films and was wonderful. She was very calm and relaxing on the day and created a stunning look – I had so many compliments on the hairstyle and the make up.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“We met through friends in October 2007 when I was working behind the bar at The Boathouse pub in Putney. Alex had just come in for a pint with friends but having been wowed by my knowledge of English rugby (it was during the rugby world cup) he plucked up the courage to ask for my number.

We got engaged over six years later on a wonderful holiday in Antigua. Alex very romantically got down on bended knee on a deserted beach as the sun was setting (such a romantic!). We were engaged for nearly eighteen months.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“I asked my maids to choose their own dresses, as I wanted them to feel comfortable on the day and wear something they actually liked and that suited each of them. I gave them a colour scheme of white/cream and they all came back with such lovely dresses. The dresses came from: The Kooples, Tiger of Sweden, Carla Zampatti, and Rene Derhy, shoes were Head over Heels at Dorothy Perkins and their hair accessories via Anthropologie.”

I gave the girls Monica Vinader necklaces on the morning of the wedding as a thank you and any other accessories were their own.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“I came across the second reading, ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’, by Leonard Cohen. This is a book of poetry and thought it was so unique as a reading. The lyrics are beautiful and much more upbeat than perhaps they feel in the song. It’s also one of my father’s favourite songs. Here are a few of my favourite extracts:

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic ‘til I’m gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love

Dance to me the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love.

 

“We both wanted to have very simple wedding bands and ordered them from Objets d’Art, a local family jeweller in Haslemere, Surrey. They were very good value and arrived promptly. The jeweller even managed to resize Alex’s on the Monday before the wedding whilst he waited, as his fingers had shrunk.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

Abigail Overton from Albert & Arthur Flowers created the most beautiful bouquets and florals for the tables – the little pots of herbs are such a lovely touch.

“Having seen Abi’s flowers at a friend’s wedding the previous year, I knew that I trusted her implicitly. I wanted the flowers to be very informal and loved Abi’s use of herbs in both the bouquets and on the table. I think I just mentioned a few colours to her and showed her some photos of the dress and Abi did the rest. The result was perfect and my only disappointment was that I couldn’t keep any of the flowers myself as we went off on honeymoon so quickly.” 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

The Surrey & Sussex Landrovers Series 2 Club found three members with cool vintage Landrovers to transport the wedding party to and from the church. Sarah’s father walked her down the aisle to the lively ‘Trumpet Voluntary’ tune by Jeremiah Clarke. The first reading was Song of Solomon 2: 10-3, 8:5-7 and the second reading was a Leonard Cohen beauty that was actually from a book of poetry.

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“Alex spent quite a while debating whether to have his suit tailored for him, or whether to buy one off the peg and then get it altered. In the end, Oliver Brown had the perfect suit that didn’t require any alterations at all. He added a Charles Tyrwhitt waistcoat, Hawes & Curtis tie, and Russell & Bromley shoes – and the groomsmen wore the same as Alex.”

 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“Our photographer Helen was incredible. She was so relaxed and fun to have around on the day; immediately putting us at our ease, as neither of us enjoys being centre of attention or having our photographs taken. She captured the atmosphere and happiness of the day perfectly and we now have hundreds of beautiful photos to remember the day by.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

With DIY décor and sweet little touches, Sarah and Alex’s marquee from Wigwam was a stunning sight.

“For the table numbers, I found plain cardboard numbers on Refound Objects and then spent the week before the wedding covering them in PVA glue and gold glitter. The kitchen table at home is still pretty sparkly! The table plan was inspired by an image on Pinterest. I ordered the hoops from The Vintage Wall (expertly found by my maid of honour Anna). Anna also wrote out all the names for me beautifully. Emma and Lizzie, two of my bridesmaids, put it together the day before the wedding and designed the wire numbers and floral décor.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

The name places were luggage labels from Tiger, again with Anna’s lovely calligraphy, with lots of white ribbon from John Lewis. The Paper honeycombs for the trees were from Selfridges and Sainsbury’s, whilst the honeycomb garlands in the marquee were from Oliver Bonas.

The stacked vintage suitcases as a card-holder were hired from the florist. The sign was handmade. All the containers for the flowers and herbs were the florist’s own, the large glass candle holders were borrowed from a family friend and the outside lanterns were from IKEA.”

 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“The food, by Mari Hudson Events Catering, was delicious and we had so many compliments on the canapés in particular. We avoided a starter and had a beautiful Moroccan-inspired chicken as a main course, with big bowls of salads in the middle of the tables for people to help themselves to. The pudding was a baked nectarine soaked in amaretto with a honeycomb ice-cream.

Neither Alex nor I like traditional wedding cake so we decided to opt for a cheese cake, which allowed for a delicious late-night snack. The cheeses were selected and decorated beautifully by Mari.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

Check out these amazing images of the couple’s eight-piece band. The lucky groom even got a chance to showcase his talent on the drums!

The Groove Elite Band was worth every single penny – they were phenomenal. This was the more important part of the wedding for Alex, and thanks to a very generous gift from his parents we were able to blow a large part of the budget on an eight-piece band. Both Tassita and Rohan had incredible voices and stage presence, and from the moment they started the dance floor was packed. They even allowed Alex to do a surprise performance on the drums with them for ‘Summer of 69’. We still get comments about that amazing band whenever we see friends.

Our first dance was to ‘You Make My Dreams Come True’ by Hall & Oates. We wanted something upbeat to help start the party, and the lyrics were also very apt.”

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

“Standing in the church vestry listening to the beautiful solo by Alexandra with our parents, best man and maid of honour before walking back into the church as husband and wife was pretty special. And the dancing was amazing – I didn’t leave the dance floor all evening.”

 

 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

 

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“It’s so easy to get caught up in the stress of trying to plan things, so just try to enjoy it all. I barely slept the night before and was really nervous all morning, but as soon as I entered the church and saw so many smiling familiar faces I completely relaxed and after that you couldn’t get the grin off my face! The day goes by so quickly in the end, but one of the best bits of advice we were given was just take five minutes out during the evening to look around and take it all in. It was incredibly special to see all our friends and family so happy and in one place.”

 

 

Sarah wore a Halfpenny London gown for her elegant English country garden wedding.  Photography by Helen Cawte.

Wow, just wow! Thank you so much to the beautiful bride and groom for sharing their very special day – and a big thank you to Helen for these images of the happy couple and all the sweet little moments.

For more gorgeous gowns by the incredibly talented Kate Halfpenny, be sure to see here. Kate – I’ve put it on my fashion ‘must-have’ list to one day own one of your beautiful dresses (maybe even two!).

Have a wonderful rest of week little lovelies.

Love Jo -x-

 

Credits & Thanks

Jo Singletary

Jo Singletary View all Jo's articles

Jo hails from and lives in sunny Australia, is currently working towards her dream of being a career coach and a few of her favourite things are watching the sunrise over the ocean, morning walks on the beach, butterflies, and supporting the guide dogs charity.

4 thoughts on “Halfpenny London Elegance for an English Country Garden Wedding at Home

  1. Your wedding looks lovely. I adore those Jimmy choo shoes but can’t seem to find them do you know the name of the shoes? Thanks xxx

  2. What a stunning collection of pictures. Great photography and some stunning modelling. I love the idea of the dream catcher for those wanting to sign there names of attendance. I think small things like this really do make the wedding unique and special for the Two getting married.

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